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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042870">Day 182</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard'>Josh_the_Bard</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Year in Kirkwall [182]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:49:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042870</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Year in Kirkwall [182]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Day 182</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anders had made a resolution to spend more time in his clinic for a while. The increased activity with the mage underground, while ultimately important, was ethically challenging at the best of times. He needed to spend a few days focused on healing people.</p><p>It had been a busy day, apparently the Coterie and the Carta had gotten into a turf war and several Coterie members had visited his clinic with stab wounds, or burns from alchemical grenades. The Carta were steering clear of his clinic, probably because they had apparently decided to side with the templars against the mage underground. Justice would not have approved but Anders would still have healed them. In his clinic, all were welcome, unless they attacked first.</p><p>He was surprised to see Keenan arrive just after midday. He didn’t look hurt, just tired and stressed. The mage took a seat while Anders closed the wounds of the last Cotery enforcer who had dragged himself in. He did wonder how much more willing to fight it made the Coterie, when they knew they could just come here to be healed.</p><p>The enforcer was at least polite and gifted Anders with a gemstone as thanks. Anders put it aside for now. He could pawn it off later to buy food to give out, or perhaps he should gift it to Keenana so he could support the mages indirectly.</p><p>Once the enforcer was gone, Keened pulled Anders aside.</p><p>“There was an attack on the resistance yesterday,” he said. Andrers was not surprised, the templars would have been looking for their captured knights.</p><p>“How many did we lose?” Andrers asked.</p><p>“Everyone who was working on the demonology research project,” Keenan said. Meaning those who supported binding spirits in mages. The underground would operate smoother without them.</p><p>“I hope this means that you will abandon the project,” Anders said. “It’s dangerous, antagonizes the templars and doesn't work.” Keenan narrowed his eyes.</p><p>“How do you know it didn’t work?”</p><p>Anders didn’t have an answer ready and Keenan noticed his hesitation. The man stepped back from Anders, the betrayal he felt plane in his eyes.</p><p>“I thought you would be the last to involve the templars,” he said. “If we cannot have a disagreement without turning on eachother-” Anders felt Justice’s presence swelling inside him.</p><p>“The binding and perversion of spirits is not a ‘mere disagreement,’” they said. “And we would no sooner work with templars then we would with demons. You cannot find Justice in such a way.”</p><p>“You… you are an abomination?” Keenan whispered. He channeled power through his staff preparing to fight. “You lecture us about possession when you carry a demon inside you!”</p><p>Anders wished he could have warned Keenan, but the rage inside Justice overwhelmed all control Anders had. He felt a tingle of arcane power surging through him and a wave of force slammed onto Keenan.</p><p>“I AM NO DEMON!” he screamed. Anders’s legs walked him to where Keenan lay. “Your ignorance is inexcusable as you blunder about the world dealing with demons and bloodmages while condemning the few spirits that bother to care about the world of mortals. Justice demands your death!”</p><p>Keenan fired off a bolt of spirit energy into Anders but Justice simply absorbed it. Keenan launched a stone projectile that crushed the bones in Ander’s chest, but Justice could pilot a body with naught but arms, legs and a spine. Finally Keenan tried to freeze them in a wall of ice but Justice conjured a circle of flame that melted it before it could even slow them down.</p><p>“Please Anders,” Keenan begged. “If you kill me, I won’t be able to stop the others from turning to blood magic. The underground will crumble. Our mission will fail.”</p><p>“You have already failed,” Justice bellowed as Anders’s arms drove the blade of his staff into Keenan’s chest.</p>
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